For Vincent Newsom, much of his Roberts Settlement memory is built upon the small, everyday moments of generational family community. Sunday dinners, his great grandmother’s journals, and the annual homecoming celebrations of his childhood fill in his story as he recounts the role of the Roberts Settlement in his life. This makes sense as Newsom, along with his seven siblings, spent a significant part of his childhood living at Roberts Settlement.
Vincent Newsom and His Experience Living at Roberts Settlement
Like most everyone connected to Roberts Settlement there are many branches of history that feed into Newsom’s life. Newsom’s great grandmother, Lucetta (Roberts) Gilliam was a descendant of Hansel Roberts. There are a handful of connections through the Newsom and Sweat branches as well. “You’ll find out you were related to everybody … and that’s kind of the way it was.” Indeed – Bryan Glover and Lezli Davis expressed similar sentiments. Newsom goes on to say, only half-joking, that he had to go all the way to Chicago to find someone to marry.
Except for a brief time living with his father in Osh Kosh, WI, Newsom spent much of his life up to his early teenage years living at the settlement. His family attended the Roberts Chapel Church each week. He fondly recalls his great grandmother, Lucetta, hosting Sunday dinner on the settlement complete with a “full spread” of turkey, greens, and more. “When I was a kid and we lived there, on Sundays people would stop by and visit. She was always fixing dinner. I think that was one thing we missed in our technology today. We kind of disconnect ourselves from people.” Newsom goes on. “I remember as a kid walking down to her house, she would pull out that ice cream maker and that was one of my jobs – to crank the ice cream. It was a really neat time.”
Newsom fondly recalls the magical trees in Lucetta’s back yard as well. “She had two large apple trees in the backyard; they were so good.” Newsom relays how the apples would get so ripe that they would explode while still attached to the branches. “They would make real good apple sauce. The ironic thing was that one year one tree would bear fruit, then switch the next year.”
Lucetta had a small daily habit that Newsom recounts fondly – proudly, even. She kept a journal where she would record many details of everyday life. “She would write down something everyday. She used to record family information: ‘Vincent was born today.’ Or, write something significant, or comment about the weather. Or what she paid for something.” Newsom said many (though not all) of these journals were saved through the years; they now live at the Indiana Historical Society. Years of these short and sweet recordings add up to a fairly cohesive picture of day-to-day life at the Roberts Settlement.
Newsom reflects on the Faith & Education tenet that has guided many at Roberts Settlement over the years (and is now a prominent part of the Legacy Walk at Roberts Settlement). Over the decades, many of those from the settlement moved into occupations of either preaching or teaching. Newsom says he never got into preaching, though he is a current member and trustee of Bethel A.M.E in Noblesville, IN. With regard to teaching, he dipped his toes into the waters at IU-Kokomo in the late 70s and early 80s prior to marrying his wife, June (now deceased). A trained engineer and manager, he hints at the enjoyment this brought him and suggests that teaching may have been his true calling. Newsom stays adjacent to academia as a member of the Engineering Dean’s Industrial Advisory Commission (DIAC) at IUPUI.
Newsom echoes a sentiment that others before him have shared: “The older you get, the more you appreciate your history and your ancestry and all that. When you’re young and all that you’re not quite as interested in it. Age kind of does that to you.” Of course this isn’t a critique of the young or of aging; more so it’s a recognition of the gift that comes through reflecting on the past.
Vincent Newsom, now retired from a career spanning four decades in engineering management, remains an active member of his community. In addition to his work as a trustee of the Roberts Settlement, Newsom is a member of the Engineering Dean’s Industrial Advisory Commission (DIAC) at IUPUI and a member and trustee of Bethel A.M.E. Church in Noblesville, IN. He loves time spent with his kids, grandkids, and extended family.
